The ineffectiveness and sometimes counterproductive consequences of Western efforts to curb opium production are outlined clearly in a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece authored by Monterey Institute Professor Moyara Ruehsen. Professor Ruehsen’s essay argues that recent efforts to discourage opium production through eradication and crop substitution programs have been ineffective, and that the real key to reducing both heroin exports and Taliban profits from drug trafficking lies in leaving opium farmers alone and focusing on cracking down on traffickers in the border regions.